Having fun while exploring the realm of bacteria and antibiotics

All set to teach the public about the importance of washing their hands and to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance!

AMR galvanizes the public to join the fight against antimicrobial resistance at Tech Saturday Upsized! - a free technological carnival for the public

"What do you see through the microscope?" Dr Peiying Ho, SMART AMR Research Manager, asked the little boy as he peered through the heavy-duty apparatus, in his munchkin-sized lab coat, goggles and gloves.

"Purple bacteria!" he exclaimed in delight.

"Right! Now, squeeze this stuffed toy, and we will see (fake) bacteria on your hands," Dr Ho cajoled. Curious, he followed as instructed and saw, for the first time, germs glowing on his hands as Dr Ho shone black light on his palm.

And that's how we began the narrative with each person - young and old - when they stopped by the booth set up by SMART Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) at Tech Saturday Upsized! 2018. Encouraging them to play their part in the fight against antimicrobial resistance by washing their hands thoroughly was a key message that was communicated to more than 500 participants at our booth.

"Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. On top of washing hands, we also advocate the public not to demand for antibiotics when they don’t need one,” said Dr Goh Boon Chong, an AMR SMART scholar. “We learnt so much from the public, as much as they learnt from us. What we take for granted in the lab was certainly a fulfilling and eye-opening experience for both the little ones and the general public. I'm gratified knowing that they are joining us in our fight against antimicrobial resistance."

The fourth edition of the fair was held on 2 & 3 Jun 2018, 11am to 7pm in Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre Halls 404 and 405. It was part of Smart Nation Innovations Week, and was organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to showcase and support Singapore’s digital readiness efforts as we move towards becoming a digital economy.